“Many bulls encircle me.

Strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

They open wide their mouths at me,

They are like a ravening and roaring lion.”

Bashan was on the northern plains. The first Israelite settlers under Moses had attacked the king of Bashan, King Og, in Numbers, chapter 21. This must have been a great place for bulls to graze. Apparently, they were famous at the time of this biblical writing. Somehow bulls that were like these Bashan bulls surrounded David or the psalmist. With their mouths wide open, they were like roaring lions. Perhaps this is an indication of those who were against him.  This may be the source of the term bullying.